Roles of mitogen-activated protein kinases and angiotensin II in renal development

Experimental and clinical evidence suggests that angiotensin II (AII) participates in renal development. Renal AII content is several-fold higher in newborn rats and mice than in adult animals. AII receptors are also expressed in higher amounts in the kidneys of newborn rats. The kidneys of fetuses whose mother received a type 1 AII receptor (AT1) antagonist during gestation present several morphological alterations. Mutations in genes that encode components of the renin-angiotensin system are associated with autosomal recessive renal tubular dysgenesis. Morphological changes were detected in the kidneys of 3-week-old angiotensin-deficient mice. Mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) are important mediators that transduce extracellular stimuli to intracellular responses. The MAPK family comprises three major subgroups, namely extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase (ERK), c-jun N-terminal kinases (JNK), and p38 MAPK (p38). Important events in renal growth during nephrogenesis such as cellular proliferation and differentiation accompanied by apoptosis on a large scale can be mediated by MAPK pathways. A decrease in glomerulus number was observed in embryos cultured for 48 and 120 h with ERK or p38 inhibitors. Many effects of AII are mediated by MAPK pathways. Treatment with losartan during lactation provoked changes in renal function and structure associated with alterations in AT1 and type 2 AII (AT2) receptors and p-JNK and p-p38 expression in the kidney. Several studies have shown that AII and MAPKs play an important role in renal development. However, the relationship between the effects of AII and MAPK activation on renal development is still unclear.

Development and assessment of acceptability and nutritional properties of a light snack

A light snack was developed using a fat replacer as a flavor fixative agent. The product presented a calorie reduction of up to 47.5% in comparison with products available on the market. The impact of this fat replacer on the sensory properties was determined by comparing this light snack to the traditional ones. No significant difference in texture was observed; however, there was a difference in color (deltaE = 8.67), due mainly to luminosity (deltaL = 7.79). The light snack presented high sensory acceptability (7.27 ± 1.3; 82.5% of grades were > 7 on 9-point hedonic scale); no significant difference in snack acceptability was observed. However, the traditional snack was significantly preferred in sensory terms (p < 0.05). In an opinion survey when the consumers were informed about snack composition, 75% of them said that they would buy the light snack instead of the traditional one. The caloric and fat reductions allow the use of the claims "light snack" and "fat free", in accordance with the legislation of various countries. We conclude that it is technologically possible to use a fat replacer in snack production, resulting in a sensory acceptable light snack with great potential to replace traditional ones.

Development of gluten-free cookie from medicinal plants (Guaraná - Paullinea cupana and Catuaba - Anemopaegma mirandum) aiming at copper, iron, and zinc supplementation

Two flavors of cookies were developed (savory and peppery) containing a mixture of plants such as "guaraná" (Paullinia cupana) and "catuaba" (Anemopaegma mirandum). A test of acceptance and buying intention was applied to 48 consumers through a structured hedonic scale of 9 points. Afterwards, the centesimal compositions of these cookies were obtained as well as their total contents of copper, iron, and zinc through the method of atomic absorption spectrometry with flame. Sensorial tests indicated that the cookies presented good acceptance with potential to sensorial growth. The amount of fibers in the samples, 3 g/100 g, surpassed expectations since the product was not invented with the intention of being a source of this nutrient. The total amount of copper (0.41 mg.100 g-1), iron (4.50 mg.100 g-1), and zinc (1.32 mg.100 g-1) was considered good. The cookies produced can be considered good sources of fibers, copper, iron, and zinc. Furthermore, they are beneficial to people affected by celiac disease because they lack gluten. They also present functional properties. In addition, the medicinal plants used are considered energetic.

Development of pitanga nectar with different sweeteners by sensory analysis: ideal pulp dilution, ideal sweetness, and sweetness equivalence

The objective of this study was to develop pitanga nectar formulations in which sucrose was replaced with different sweeteners. Consumer tests were conducted with 50 fruit juice consumers, and a just-about-right scale was used to determine the ideal pulp dilution and ideal sweetness with sucrose. Furthermore, the adequate concentrations of six sweeteners were determined to obtain the equivalent sweetness of sucrose using relative to these concentrations the magnitude estimation model with 19 selected assessors. The ideal dilution test resulted in 25% pulp, and the ideal sweetness test, 10% sucrose. Sweetener concentrations to replace sucrose were 0.0160%, 0.0541%, 0.1000%, 0.0999%, 0.0017%, and 0.0360%, respectively, for sucralose, aspartame, stevia 40% rebaudioside A, stevia 95% rebaudioside A, neotame, and a 2:1 cyclamate/saccharin blend. These results can be used to prepare pitanga nectar with different sweeteners and obtain the same sweetness intensity in less caloric products than that of nectar prepared with sucrose.

Labneh with probiotic properties produced from kefir: development and sensory evaluation

The labneh or labaneh is a popular fermented milk in the Middle East. Another fermented product that deserves special mention is kefir since it has probiotic activity and unique sensory, nutritional, and therapeutic properties. The aim of the present study was to develop a functional probiotic labneh using kefir as a fermenting agent and to perform a sensory analysis of the obtained product. Kefir was obtained by growing grains in pasteurized milk. Samples of skimmed and whole labneh were prepared from the inoculation of 5% kefir milk (skimmed/whole) at 28 ºC for 24h, followed by cooling (12-18h) and whey drainage (12-24h), both at 4 ºC. Sensory analysis was performed with 70 untrained panelists using a 9-point scale hedonic in the acceptance tests. The paired t-test was used to compare the differences between the means of the scores obtained, with the significance level of 5%. The labneh prepared showed good acceptance by the judges, and the whole labneh samples had the highest scores in the acceptance test. Further studies on the analysis of microbiological viability, nutritional composition, and determination of shelf life, also to improve acceptability of the low-fat version of the product, are needed.

Development of Project Logistics in Engineering, Procurement and Construction Projects

The aim of this Master’s Thesis is to develop project logistics functions in large scale en-gineering, procurement and construction projects. The background of the research topic is compounded from two separate subjects; OPAL Program and case study of an actual EPC project. The purpose is to examine Project Logistics process in accordance with OPAL Program as well as logistics process in focus EPC project. Both entities are researched by using the case study research methodology. Logistics process of the focus EPC project is described as well as presented and in addi-tion, logistics related findings and observations are introduced. Significant findings and observations are found from logistics costs as well as shipment volume estimations in the early phase of the focus ECP project. A notable finding is also that because goods were transported as readily assembled as possible it caused expensive oversized cargo deliveries. From findings and observation of the focus EPC project it can be derived that logistics has to be involved in the early sales phase in order to receive more accurate logistics cost esti-mations for project deliveries. It is also noticed that in order to obtain savings in logistics costs, oversized deliveries must be avoided.

What children value : a scale to guide health promotion programs

Objective. Physical activity is important for the health of all human beings. Although it is important to develop good health promotion programs for children to increase participation in physical activity, to date there appear to be no programs based on what kids value beyond health and physical activity itself. This study proposed to create a scale with strong content and face validity that could uncover what any given population of children value in life regardless of their participation in physical activity and that experts feel could be related to physical activity. These findings will allow the development of targeted health promotion programs to increase children's participation in regular physical activity. Method In this study, a combination of qualitative and quantitative approaches was used. Data were gathered from seven experts in the field, sixty-seven children in grades three to five, five parents, and three teachers. From these data response groupings were created and sent to four experts to be given single word names. The resulting nine theme names were re-worked into "child-friendly" language. Four children were then asked to discuss theme names to see if they liked and understood them. The next step involved asking children and experts to rank order the nine themes, the children in general and the experts in terms of relevance to physical activity. From these results, possible versions of the scale were then created using the combined expert/children rankings. Each version was examined for content validity. Two versions of a scale resulted. These were sent to experts, parents, teachers and children in order to determine which one they liked better and to suggest any foreseeable problems. Once this information was collected, a beta (final prototype) version of the scale was created. Results. Nine common theme names were created from the response groupings. All four children agreed that they did understand and like each of the nine theme names. Experts and teachers agreed that full coverage of the content had been achieved. Children suggested a single wording change from "Being Accepted" to "Being Included". Five themes were selected for inclusion. The beta version of the scale included 12 forced choice statements, the first ten comparing all themes against one another followed by two anchor statements. Conclusion. At the outset it was recognized that it is essential to know what children think is important in their lives in order to serve as potential benefits in the development of effective physical activity promotion programs. This study developed a scale which could be used to determine what a population of children feel is important in order to focus health promotion programs for physical activity. The scale has strong face and content validity.

Development of a bacteriophage-based biopesticide for fire blight

Fire blight is an economically important disease of apples and pears that is caused by the bacterium Erwinia amylovora. Control of the disease depends on limiting primaly blosson1 infection in the spring, and rapidly removing infected tissue. The possibility of using phages to control E.amylovora populations has been suggested, but previous studies have. failed to show high treatment efficacies. This work describes the development of a phage-based biopesticide that controls E. amylovora populations under field conditions, and significantly reduces the incidence of fire blight. This work reports the first use ofPantoea agglomerans, a non-pathogenic relative ofE. amylovora, as a carrier for E. amylovora.phages. Its role is to support a replicating population of these phages on blossom surfaces during the period when the flowers are most susceptible to infection. Seven phages and one carrier isolate were selected for field trials from existing collections of 56 E. amylovora phages and 249 epiphytic orchard bacteria. Selection of the . /' phages and carrier was based on characteristics relevant to the production and field perfonnance of a biopesticide: host range, genetic diversity, growth under the conditions of large-scale production, and the ability to prevent E. amylovora from infecting pear blossoms. In planta assays showed that both the phages and the carrier make significant contributions to reducirig the development of fire blight symptoms in pear blossoms. Field-scale phage production and purification methods were developed based on the growth characteristics of the phages and bacteria in liquid culture, and on the survival of phages in various liquid media. Six of twelve phage-carrier biopesticide treatments caused statistically signiflcant reductions in disease incidence during orchard trials. Multiplex real-time PCR was used to simultaneously monitor the phage, carrier, and pathogen populations over the course of selected treatments. In all cases. the observed population dynamics of the biocontrol agents and the pathogen were consistent with the success or failure of each treatment to control disease incidence. In treatments exhibiting a significantly reduced incidel1ce of fire blight, the average blossom population ofE.amylovora had been reduced to pre-experiment epiphytic levels. In successful treatments the phages grew on the P. agglomerans carrier for 2 to 3 d after treatment application. The phages then grew preferentially on the pathogen, once it was introduced into this blossom ecosystem. The efficacy of the successful phage-based treatnlents was statistically similar to that of streptomycin, which is the most effective bactericide currently available for fire blight prevention. The in planta behaviour ofE. amylovora was compared to that ofErwinia pyrifoliae, a closely related species that causes fire blight-like synlptoms on pears in southeast Asia. Duplex real-time PCR was used to monitor the population dynamics of both species on single blossonls. E. amylovora exhibited a greater competitive fitness on Bartlett pear blossoms than E. pyrifoliae. The genome ofErwinia phage Ea21-4 was sequenced and annotated. Most of the 8-4.7 kB genome is substantially different from previously described sequences, though some regions are notably similar to Salmonella phage Felix 01 . Putative functions were assigned to approximately 30% of the predicted open reading frames based on amino acid sequence comparisons and N-terminal sequencing of structural proteins.

Comparison of the Behavioural Development of Infants at Low and High-Risk for Autism Spectrum Disorders

By identifying early signs of Autism Spectrum Disorder, early intervention or parent training could be implemented and assist in increasing the developmental trajectory for these infants. This cross sectional study used the Parent Observation of Early Markers Scale (POEMS) to identify early signs of ASD in 69 high-risk (older sibling diagnosed with ASD) and 69 matched low-risk infants' families (no family history of ASD) between 6 and 36 months of age. The preliminary results showed the high-risk children had significantly more elevated POEMS items than the low-risk children at 12, 18,24,30 and 36 months of age. The results suggest that at-risk infants may show signs of ASD as early as 12 months of age, and that the POEMS could be used to guide early intervention or parent training for children 12 months or older.

Early Development of Auditory-Verbal and Visual-Spatial Short-Term Memory: Age and Sex Effects

Memory is a multi-component cognitive ability to retain and retrieve information presented in different modalities. Research on memory development has shown that the memory capacity and the processes improve gradually from early childhood to adolescence. Findings related to the sex-differences in memory abilities in early childhood have been inconsistent. Although previous research has demonstrated the effects of the modality of stimulus presentation (auditory versus verbal) and the type of material to be remembered (visual/spatial versus auditory/verbal) on the memory processes and memory organization, the recent research with children is rather limited. The present study is a secondary analysis of data, originally collected from 530 typically developing Turkish children and adolescents. The purpose of the present study was to examine the age-related developments and sex differences in auditory-verbal and visual-spatial short-term memory (STM) in 177 typically developing male and female children, 5 to 8 years of age. Dot-Locations and Word-Lists from the Children's Memory Scale were used to measure visual-spatial and auditory-verbal STM performances, respectively. The findings of the present study suggest age-related differences in both visual-spatial and auditory-verbal STM. Sex-differences were observed only in one visual-spatial STM subtest performance. Modality comparisons revealed age- and task-related differences between auditory-verbal and visual-spatial STM performances. There were no sex-related effects in terms of modality specific performances. Overall, the results of this study provide evidence of STM development in early childhood, and these effects were mostly independent of sex and the modality of the task.

Teaching Reading to ESL Adult Literacy Learners: The Development of an Instructor’s Handbook

The purpose of this project was to develop an instructors’ handbook that provides the declarative, procedural, and conditional knowledge associated with the interactive instructional approach, differentiated instruction, and the gradual release of responsibility framework for teaching reading to English as a second language adult literacy learners. The need for this handbook was determined by conducting a critical analysis of existing handbooks and concluding that no handbook completely addressed the 3 types of knowledge for the 3 instructional processes. A literature review was conducted to examine the nature, use, and effectiveness of the 3 instructional processes when teaching reading to ESL adult literacy learners. The literature review also examined teachers’ preferences for reading research and found that texts that were relevant, practical, and accessible were favoured. Hence, these 3 elements were incorporated as part of the handbook design. Three peer reviewers completed a 35-item 5-point Likert scale evaluation form that also included 5 open-ended questions. Their feedback about the handbook’s relevancy, practicality, accessibility, and face validity were incorporated into the final version of the handbook presented here. Reference to the handbook by ESL adult literacy instructors has the potential to support evidence-informed lesson planning which can support the ESL adult literacy learners in achieving their goals and contributing to their societies in multiple and meaningful ways.

Development of an enzyme immobilization platform based on microencapsulation for paper-based biosensors

Un papier bioactif est obtenu par la modification d’un papier en y immobilisant une ou plusieurs biomolécules. La recherche et le développement de papiers bioactifs est en plein essor car le papier est un substrat peu dispendieux qui est déjà d’usage très répandu à travers le monde. Bien que les papiers bioactifs n’aient pas connus de succès commercial depuis la mise en marche de bandelettes mesurant le taux de glucose dans les années cinquante, de nombreux groupes de recherche travaillent à immobiliser des biomolécules sur le papier pour obtenir un papier bioactif qui est abordable et possède une bonne durée de vie. Contrairement à la glucose oxidase, l’enzyme utilisée sur ces bandelettes, la majorité des biomolécules sont très fragiles et perdent leur activité très rapidement lorsqu’immobilisées sur des papiers. Le développement de nouveaux papiers bioactifs pouvant détecter des substances d’intérêt ou même désactiver des pathogènes dépend donc de découverte de nouvelles techniques d’immobilisation des biomolécules permettant de maintenir leur activité tout en étant applicable dans la chaîne de production actuelle des papiers fins. Le but de cette thèse est de développer une technique d’immobilisation efficace et versatile, permettant de protéger l’activité de biomolécules incorporées sur des papiers. La microencapsulation a été choisie comme technique d’immobilisation car elle permet d’enfermer de grandes quantités de biomolécules à l’intérieur d’une sphère poreuse permettant leur protection. Pour cette étude, le polymère poly(éthylènediimine) a été choisi afin de générer la paroi des microcapsules. Les enzymes laccase et glucose oxidase, dont les propriétés sont bien établies, seront utilisées comme biomolécules test. Dans un premier temps, deux procédures d’encapsulation ont été développées puis étudiées. La méthode par émulsion produit des microcapsules de plus petits diamètres que la méthode par encapsulation utilisant un encapsulateur, bien que cette dernière offre une meilleure efficacité d’encapsulation. Par la suite, l’effet de la procédure d’encapsulation sur l’activité enzymatique et la stabilité thermique des enzymes a été étudié à cause de l’importance du maintien de l’activité sur le développement d’une plateforme d’immobilisation. L’effet de la nature du polymère utilisé pour la fabrication des capsules sur la conformation de l’enzyme a été étudié pour la première fois. Finalement, l’applicabilité des microcapsules de poly(éthylèneimine) dans la confection de papiers bioactifs a été démontré par le biais de trois prototypes. Un papier réagissant au glucose a été obtenu en immobilisant des microcapsules contenant l’enzyme glucose oxidase. Un papier sensible à l’enzyme neuraminidase pour la détection de la vaginose bactérienne avec une plus grande stabilité durant l’entreposage a été fait en encapsulant les réactifs colorimétriques dans des capsules de poly(éthylèneimine). L’utilisation de microcapsules pour l’immobilisation d’anticorps a également été étudiée. Les avancées au niveau de la plateforme d’immobilisation de biomolécules par microencapsulation qui ont été réalisées lors de cette thèse permettront de mieux comprendre l’effet des réactifs impliqués dans la procédure de microencapsulation sur la stabilité, l’activité et la conformation des biomolécules. Les résultats obtenus démontrent que la plateforme d’immobilisation développée peut être appliquée pour la confection de nouveaux papiers bioactifs.

Validation of the couples' cancer communication scale

Un diagnostic de cancer du sein met la relation d’un couple à l'épreuve. La communication à propos du cancer peut aider les conjoints à s’appuyer mutuellement afin de mieux s’adapter à la maladie. Cependant, dans la documentation existante, peu d’échelles mesurent explicitement cette forme de communication. Ce projet avait pour but de valider l’échelle de communication des couples aux prises avec le cancer (CCC). Les patientes (N = 120) et leurs conjoints (N = 109) ont été interrogés au sujet de leur expérience avec le cancer du sein. Une analyse factorielle performé sur l’ensemble des données a permis de retenir deux facteurs pour l’échelle CCC, l’évitement et l’ouverture à la communication. L’échelle a démontré une bonne validité convergente avec le Primary Communication Inventory (r = .54, p <.01 patientes; r = .55, p <.01 partenaires). Finalement, l’échelle CCC prédit la dépression (Δr² = 0.029) et l’ajustement marital (Δr² = 0.032) au-delà de la communication générale. Avec plus ample développement, l'échelle actuelle pourrait servir à des fins de recherche ainsi que dans des contextes cliniques où une évaluation après un diagnostic de cancer permettrait, au besoin, la mise en oeuvre précoce d’interventions sur la communication conjugale au propos de la maladie.

Development of a Technique for Estimating Rain Parameters from Rain Noise Measurements

The measurement of global precipitation is of great importance in climate modeling since the release of latent heat associated with tropical convection is one of the pricipal driving mechanisms of atmospheric circulation.Knowledge of the larger-scale precipitation field also has important potential applications in the generation of initial conditions for numerical weather prediction models Knowledge of the relationship between rainfall intensity and kinetic energy, and its variations in time and space is important for erosion prediction. Vegetation on earth also greatly depends on the total amount of rainfall as well as the drop size distribution (DSD) in rainfall.While methods using visible,infrared, and microwave radiometer data have been shown to yield useful estimates of precipitation, validation of these products for the open ocean has been hampered by the limited amount of surface rainfall measurements available for accurate assessement, especially for the tropical oceans.Surface rain fall measurements(often called the ground truth)are carried out by rain gauges working on various principles like weighing type,tipping bucket,capacitive type and so on.The acoustic technique is yet another promising method of rain parameter measurement that has many advantages. The basic principle of acoustic method is that the droplets falling in water produce underwater sound with distinct features, using which the rainfall parameters can be computed. The acoustic technique can also be used for developing a low cost and accurate device for automatic measurement of rainfall rate and kinetic energy of rain.especially suitable for telemetry applications. This technique can also be utilized to develop a low cost Disdrometer that finds application in rainfall analysis as well as in calibration of nozzles and sprinklers. This thesis is divided into the following 7 chapters, which describes the methodology adopted, the results obtained and the conclusions arrived at.